One Down, Six to Go.....

Today we reached another milestone, the first month is over. One down, six to go. I try not to look at the calendar too much, it's too depressing. On the whole,though, it really hasn't been too bad. We've had good days and bad ones. I really can't believe how fast it has gone by, with the exception of the second week, which was by far the hardest. We have tried to keep busy, which isn't hard to do, between school, after school activities, and swimming lessons. I've also kept busy with my friends. We've been walking everyday. Today's outing was to Timmie's. Shocking eh? We're so lucky to have so many great friends here. I'd be lost without them. Not to mention caffeine deprived. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the regular old day to day chores, although today I did actually manage to clean the house. Not the garage though, that's the project for August. A girl needs something to look forward too, after all.


We have friends from Ottawa coming to visit tomorrow so I did some baking. Katty and I baked pumpkin bread, and made cookies. She had fun, but not as much fun as baking with Gramma. Apparently she jazzes the whole process up. I was told numerous times I was doing it wrong, "That's not how Gramma does it? Are you sure this is going to turn out right? Maybe we should call Gramma and ask her." Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. And actually, I gave Gramma the recipe, so there!!

While we were doing that, Connor was off to Cubs. They went on a field trip to the Military Police Station. He thought that was pretty cool, especially when they got locked in the jail cell. He was quite disappointed they didn't come equipped with bathrooms and televisions. And the beds aren't very comfortable. Only little tiny cots, no down comforters. Hello, not a hotel. But then again, it is Canada, no wonder the poor boy was expecting a luxury resort. I did remind him people went to jail to be punished, which led to a discussion of various crimes people commit, and how long a sentence they served, which led to the inevitable, "Dad's deployment is as long as a prison sentence." Funny, I've often thought that myself. More like house arrest though. Oh, and this is definitely not a luxury spa! "Have you ever gone to jail Mom?" Uh, no! "Do you know any one who has ever been to jail?" No comment. He looked a little nervous when I informed him people went to jail for being belligerent. Funny, he was extremely polite and respectful the rest of the night. He has decided he really wouldn't like to go to jail. Good plan. Maybe he should go on field trips to police stations more often.

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But, it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."~~Winston Churchill

Going to Town..........................

When I was little, I used to love going to town with my dad. Most of the time, he took me so I would stop crying or whining. Basically it was bribery for me to shut up. We would go into K&P Handyland and I would get a pop and socialize with all of my dads cronies. It's a good thing there was no Timmie's back then, or I'd really have some serious problems now. Sometimes we would go and pick out presents for mom's birthday or Christmas, usually at Home Hardware. When I think about that now, I laugh, because if Dan ever went shopping for me at Home Hardware, he'd be in serious trouble. I still make my Daddy take me out when I go home in the summer. And yes, I usually con him into taking me to Tim Horton's for coffee. But going to town now, as an adult, is just not the same. I went to the mall in Pembroke today, and the power was out, so I couldn't do any of my errands (not that there are alot of shops in the mall to do errands at anyway). But I did get to have a lovely chat with 2 old guys who were finishing their coffee at Timmie's. They reminded me of my dad's old buddy's and my Grampy Howard, especially when one of them told me I was a cute little thing (he didn't have his glasses on). His buddy agreed with him,and told me I looked like I had a lot of power. More power then the mall apparently. "Yes George, she looks like a right little dynamo." I could almost hear Grampy Howard saying something like that now. It made me quite nostalgic for those long ago days of my youth. After chatting with my new found buddies for a few minutes, I came home. I hate driving to and from town, there is only one way to go, right through the centre of town. It is a most depressing drive. Pembroke has got to be the dirtiest, dingiest, most depressing town I've ever been in. John tells me that it looks exactly the same as it did in the 1960's. Actually, I'm sure it probably looks much the same as it did in the 1860's. I might add, the people also look like they are straight out of the 1860's or the movie Deliverance, take your pick. It's a bleak little industrial town, with little colour or life. In all fairness, it has grown since we were here 7 years ago. There is a Wal-Mart, and a Home Depot, which weren't here before. And that's about it. So after my whirlwind trip to town, I came home and cleaned closets. Wow, it doesn't get more exciting then that.

“When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking."~~Elayne Boosler

Spring is In the Air.......

Spring will be here soon. I know this, not because the snow is melting, or the Canada geese are coming back, not because there were Robin's on the lawn, or croci pushing their fragile buds up out of the frozen ground, The first sign of spring was a big red billboard announcing the beginning of Roll Up the Rim at Tim Horton's. Every winter, as the sun begins to warm the earth, and the smell of dirty melting snow fills the air, Tim Horton's marks this changing of seasons with their annual Roll Up the Rim campaign, a holy festival celebrating the most revered of all the saints, Saint Timothy of Cappuccino. If there is one thing that I look forward to every morning (besides the kids getting on the bus), it is my double double from Timmie's. Just one a day, that's usually all I need, but how I savour that one cup of coffee. And if something interferes with me getting that coffee, look out, because I will get ugly. Now, I know I could brew it myself at home, but it's jut not the same. Besides, what is more lonely then me, alone with a large pot of coffee. It is a rare occasion when I will have 2. Although I did have 2 yesterday, but that was different. It was the beginning of the holy festival after all, and my friend showed up with one. It would have been rude of me not to drink it. Um, and I did have 2 when Annette and Mike were up, and 2 on my birthday. OK, so its not that rare for me to have 2, but never more then that. I would never sleep, not to mention never come down off of the ceiling. Tim Horton's is my deployment support centre, and I will need all of the support I can get in the coming months. Because spring in Canada, means spring in Afghanistan, and that is not a good thing. Spring in Afghanistan means things will start ramping up, and my nerves will be shot. Today, as I celebrate the coming of spring here, Dan was getting ready to go out. He called before he left. I'm not sure where he was going, or what he was doing. I am sure I don't want to know. He doesn't know how long he is going to be out for, and I don't know when I will get to talk to him again. I really wish it would stay winter in Afghanistan for the next 6 months, but that's not going to happen. Which means, the hotter and busier it gets there, the more coffee I'm going to be drinking here. I really wish our ceilings weren't stuccoed, they are going to be a bitch on my knees.

"Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee."~~Stephanie Piro

You Can't Party All Night................

Well, it was a pretty quiet day in the old Bobbitt household. Katty and Libby had a sleepover in Libby's room, it was too cute. And I got to stay in bed until 8:30. Sweet! The girls actually got along well all day, and contrary to my earlier prediction, no brawls erupted when Connor got home. Of course, he was beat to a snot when he got home. Apparently, they were awake until 3 am. I'm sure it was very wild, but I did not hear all of the gory details. That is probably not a bad thing, I'm sure I don't want to know. For the first time in years, Connor actually feel asleep on the couch, not once, but 3 times. He was knackered all day. On the bright side, he was too tired to fight with his sisters. And that is as Martha would say, a good thing.

"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap."~ ~Carrie Snow

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish.......

Some are sad, and some are glad, and some are very, very bad. From Dr Seuss' lips to God's ears. It was just one of those days. The kind you know is going to be annoying before you even get out of bed. Katty did not sleep well last night, at one point she was yelling at Connor in her sleep, which leads me to believe she was still very annoyed about the whole walrus incident. So because Katherine did not sleep well, I did not sleep well, and getting out of bed before 8am on a Saturday morning is just wrong. Luckily today was swimming lesson day. Whoever decided that 9:10 am Saturday morning was a good time for swimming lessons, needs a kick in the ass. One hint, it wasn't Dan. But at least they had a temporary distraction. All 3 of them love swimming, the girls especially. Of course, Connor likes it as well, but would never admit it. They are doing fantastic, and are progressing really well. They can all out swim me. Actually, they could out swim me doing the doggy paddle, but never mind. I love watching them. Connor and Libby are in the same level. Actually, they are the only 2 in their level, so they've done a lot of stuff for the next level already. It was too funny today. Watching Connor was just like watching Poppa swimming at the lake, minus the ball cap, of course. How that boy manages to keep his head as dry as he does is beyond me. Connor hates to get water in his eyes, just like Poppa, I might add. One of the exercises today was diving to get rings from the bottom of the pool. Libby got 4 for every one of his. He was far too busy wiping the water off of his face to look for rings. Of course, she took great pleasure in beating her older brother!! I'm sure that soon enough, he'll want to wear his hat when he goes in the lake too, God help us!

They were pretty happy when they got home, Daddy sent them each an e-mail, which made their day. Of course, the happiness soon dissipated and they were back to quarrelling over the most inane things. First it was Connor and Katty, then it was Libby and Katty. God forbid all 3 of them actually be happy at the same time. I swear they take turns at it, just to drive me crazy. Luckily, Connor went to a friends for a sleepover, otherwise I'm sure they'd still be at it. I must say, I took immense pleasure in dropping him off for the sleepover. They invited the same lot of boys Connor had at his party, plus the birthday boy. Five 11/12 year old boys, you so could not pay me enough to do that one again. I briefly thought about warning them, but then thought, no, this should be something they experience for themselves. I tried to hold in my maniacal laughter as I ran from the house and sped off in the van, but I think they might have been suPISScious of my hasty retreat.

The girls and I then went to Jen's for pizza. They had fun, though Katty spent most of the time terrorizing poor Cameron, who is only 4. She would not leave the poor boy alone. I bet he is really, really glad now he does not have sisters. The girls were pretty anxious to get home because they have the house all to themselves. I've got to say, they had a great night. Funny how they get along much better when it's just the two of them. I shall savour the peace this evening, because once Connor comes home tomorrow, they will revert to their normal bickering ways. After all, two's company, three's a brawl.

"If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is ever going to help you."~~Bruce Lee

There's A Walrus In The Woods......

So, what is it about big brothers that causes them to torment their little sisters so much?? After having suffered for years the torment of my own 3 older brothers, you'd think I'd have that one figured out. To say that Connor has an active imagination would be an understatement. He has mastered the art of the fishing story without having ever been a fishermen, though he did catch a nice small mouth bass last summer on vacation. So, today he decided it would be a good day to tease poor Katty. I have no idea why, but he convinced her there was a Walrus living in the woods behind the park. He even offered to take her to go see it. Her eyes as big as saucers, I could tell she wanted to go, but was petrified of what she'd find. Of course, the fact that he told her it liked to grab things and take it back into its hole in the ice, might have had something to do with it. I tried to convince her that he was tricking her, and that Petawawa was not the natural habitat of the walrus but she would have none of that. What do I know, I'm just the mother. Well, duh again. So, they all got dressed, and off they went. It wasn't even 5 minutes later, she was running back in the house, screaming for dear life. You'd think she'd been attacked by the walrus itself, but no, she hadn't even made it across the street. Apparently, the legend of the walrus grew once they got outside, and there was no way in hell she was going anywhere near those woods. It took me forever to convince her he was making it up. Remember the time Connor saw a Beluga Whale in the woods on the way to Moncton?? Of course, once she realized he was tricking her, she was pissed. Stupid dumb Connor!!!! As soon as he came in, she marched right up, and walloped him as hard as she could on the shoulder. Take that, that's for tricking me!!! Hopefully now she will be more suPISScious when he tells her tales. You know, come to think of it, I remember my brother Shawn telling me all about the pink Walrus he saw in the pond down the road from our house. For weeks after, every time we went by the pond, I was petrified this pink thing was going to attack me! It wasn't until years later I found out he'd actually been tripping acid that night (bad boy). Little wonder I was always too scared to experiment as a teenager. No way in hell did I want that pink Walrus coming after me!!

"Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way."~~Pamela Dugdale

The Wheels of the Bus.....

Weather, like life can be cruel. And the Bobbitt 3 learned this harsh lesson first thing this morning. They bound from bed to the window, expecting a winter wonderland. Instead, they found, nothing. Not one flake of snow had fallen overnight. And once again their fragile dreams of bus cancellations were shattered. And as they all mourned the loss of their almost snow day, I did a dance of joy in the kitchen. No worries though, by the time they came in, I had almost managed to wipe the grin off of my face. Almost. The bitter irony of it all, the snow actually began to fall shortly before school ended for the day. To late in the day to warrant an early dismissal, to early to cause bus cancellations for tomorrow. And thus they learned another harsh lesson, the weather man is often wrong. The supposed 15 cms storm, in the end amounted to not much more then 3 cms at the most. And wouldn't you know, the girls had a Camp Fire for Brownies and Sparks, tonight of all nights. The biggest "storm" we've had all winter, and we had to go out in it. You'd think with the massive amounts of snow it would have been cancelled, but no. So, off we went on the treacherous roads, in the middle of our blizzard to drop them off. It was actually quite pretty, as far as snow storms go. The girls had a good time until Katty realized her hands were cold. And then all hell broke loose, there was no consoling her. She was done and she wanted to go home yesterday. Thank goodness her sister was there to comfort her. She even gave up her own campfire blanket, so her sister would be warmer. She stayed with her, rubbing her hands, until I got there. The love-in continued until well after we got home. Libby got Katty's bed ready for her, and found her blankets and favourite stuffies and helped me get the hot water bottle. They even cuddled together in bed. As she drifted off to sleep, Katty's last words were, "I love you Libby." And even more shocking, Libby told Katty she loved her too! And I so wished I'd had a tape recorder near by, because they will never, ever, willingly say those words again. Tomorrow, all of the good will and new found sisterly love will be forgotten, and the proverbial gloves will be off.

"The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it."~~Patrick Young

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Can you believe it? It's February 21 and there has not been one major snowstorm this winter. In Petawawa, where the first snowfall happens in October, and there is still snow on the ground until at least the end of April. There is barely any snow on the ground. I kid you not. Shocking isn't it?? Now, let me say, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The last time Dan was deployed, there was so much snow, I could barely see to back out of the driveway. Come to think of it, I can barely see now to back out the driveway, but never mind. Its got to be one of those strange cosmic karma things. When Dan was deployed last time, our neighbour actually shovelled his snow into MY driveway. This lasted for several weeks, until one night, as I struggled to shovel the snow that he had snow-blowed in front of my garage door, I lost it, and let him have it! I told him in no uncertain terms how unimpressed I was, that while I was alone for 5 months with 3 children (who were 5, 3, and 1 at the time), he was actually making my life more difficult by constantly shovelling his snow onto my side of the driveway. I may have also called him a few choice names. Maybe. Shortly after that, he moved. Good riddance, I say. So here we are, Dan has deployed once again in January, but this time, shovelling is not an issue. Because not 1 but 3, count them 3 neighbours have kindly offered to clear my driveway. And it hasn't snowed once. The irony of it all! Oh, we've had a few cms of snow here and there, but nothing substantial. And I know, everyone is thinking this is a bad thing because? Because our poor children are bored to tears. There is not enough snow for them to do anything. No snow forts or snowmen, barely enough for tobogganing (but too cold on the hill anyway). Whereas they would normally spend hours outside digging snow tunnels, and making snow angels, this winter they have barely been out at all. But the worst insult of all, the buses have not been cancelled once!! Not once! And that's a big deal, because they don't cancel school here, just the buses. Last year we lived across the street from the school, so I took them anyway. And yes, I am heartless. So imagine how excited they were to be bused this year. Surely in Petawawa the buses would be cancelled several times. No such luck (and this is where the lack of snow is not a bad thing for mommy), they haven't been cancelled once. The Bobbitt 3 came home from school today, positively vibrating. There is a storm a coming! We're finally supposed to get 10-15 cms of snow. They are so excited. Libby has been up at least 5 times to check if its snowing yet, and I've lost track of how many times Connor's asked me if I think the buses are going to be cancelled tomorrow. And maybe I should turn the radio on now, and check, just in case. I just checked the forecast, and they are still calling for snow, but no heavy snowfall warnings. I fear the Bobbitt 3 are in for a disappointment tomorrow morning. Which means things could get ugly around here. If only there were a snowbank for me to go hide behind.

"Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative."~~Oscar Wilde

The Goblin in the Garage....

Well, you'll all be happy to know Katty had a much better day today. No remedial work, and no detention. I tried to convince her to take a cantaloupe to use as a drum at lunch time, but she just looked at me like I was crazy (well, duh).

So I was cleaning up today, and found a stack of Libby's "works in progress". She is quite the little writer. In fact, her teacher recently went to a symposium of other french immersion teachers in the district, and took with her a portfolio of Libby's work. They all read her stories, and decided she is writing at a grade 5/6 level (she's in grade 3). In her classroom, they get awarded points based on how well they do on their assigned work. Last week they had to write a Saint Valentines story. Libby's earned 200 points, she was the only one in the class to get any for that assignment. I love it when I find her stories to read (thank goodness the ones she writes at home she writes in English, otherwise, I'd be totally lost). The one that caught my eye today is titled, The Goblin in the Garage. I had to laugh. The garage is always such a hot button issue in our household. It is the one thing guaranteed to send my normally calm, and level headed husband into a tailspin (besides the laundry and storage rooms, but we'll discuss those after I drag the Easter Rubbermaid's out). I think his obsession might stem from an unresolved emotional reaction, dating back to the time the rats lived in the garage (I have suggested counselling). He could care less if the rest of the house is falling down around our ears, but if one of these 3 rooms is messy, he gets ugly! In fact, we very rarely fight, but when we do, its usually about the state of one of these rooms. You see, I could care less if the garage, laundry, and storage rooms are neat and tidy. I subscribe to the old adage out of sight, out of mind. Dan, not so much. In fact, when we are having people over, the first thing he does is clean any one off the aforementioned rooms (we do a lot of entertaining in the storage room). I even have a friend who keeps reminding me to keep the garage tidy while Dan's gone. She's such a smart ass. I'm sure its driving Dan crazy to know he has left the care of his beloved garage in my less then capable hands, and really, it is my top priority, honest. I mean it. I'd take a picture and show you all just how clean and orderly it is, but I store my sign boards in there, and well, I wouldn't want the competition to see them. Oh, and I'd also like to not be divorced. I can, however, show you a picture of the door, it's nice and clean. Today, however, I feel vindicated. Because it wasn't me, it was the goblin the whole time. I knew there was no way I could make that much mess. How many times did I tell you it wasn't me Dan, and you never believed it? I bet you feel bad now. It wasn't me, it was the goblin. He prefers to be known by his first name, by the way. His name is Zaca! And he likes to make a mess in our garage. I'd like to tell you more about him, but apparently that is as far as Libby got with his biography. I'll have to get back to you with the details. Oh, and I promise the garage will be nice and tidy when you get home, even if it takes Zaca the entire month of August to clean it. Honest.

“Cleanliness becomes important when godliness is unlikely."~~P.J. O'Rourke

Teach Your Children Well....

It's hard to believe but we are on week 4 already. Sometimes the time seems to fly by, at other times it crawls along. The kids had a good weekend so I had high hopes that the week would start off on the right track. My hopes were quickly dashed (and really how naive to think all would go smoothly) when Katherine got off the bus this afternoon. I could just tell she was not happy by the look on her face. And indeed she was not, she was quite indignant in fact. Seems she had more then one run in with her teacher today. The first because she did not finish her printing practice in the hour allotted, and was very stressed about it. It was obviously a major issue because I got a very pointed note (not the first I might add, agendas MUST be signed nightly, don't you know) from the teacher that Katherine MUST do this tonight for homework, as she was UNABLE to complete it during the classroom time. Sounds to me like the teacher might need to manage the classroom time better, but what do I know. I'm thinking Katty probably has enough stress in her life with her father in Afghanistan, the fact she was unable to print des cereales the requisite number of times in the space provided, probably shouldn't be a huge deal, but that's just me. By the way, I measured (yes I have obsessive tendencies), as they were to print it, des cereales is a 3" word, and the space provide was 5.5", there was no possible way for her to fit the word twice, especially if one factors in the Popsicle stick width that HAD to be left between the words. No wonder the poor kid erased it innumerable time, it was an impossible, not to mention unreasonable task. I thought the solution would be to print the words on a separate piece of paper, but oh no, this simply can not be done. I sometimes believe her teacher might have Nazi like tendencies, but again, that's just me. Its not as if the child doesn't know how to print, in fact she prints quite well and has since the age of 3, thanks in large part to Mrs Mills (I miss her so). In fact, I would hazard a guess that her printing is much more legible then her father's. I wonder what her Nazi, I mean teacher, would have to say about this.

The second incident of the day involved a detention, brought on by too much talking in the classroom (shocking that Katty might talk to much). I mistakenly thought the detention was for standing up to go to the garbage can during lunch hour, seems that was last weeks detention. I also discovered that there in fact had been another detention last week for using 2 apples as cymbals during lunch hour. Imagine how disruptive those apples would be, the sound would have positively resonated off of the walls of the classroom. And at lunch time no less. A time for quiet reflection over a soggy peanut butter sandwich, it certainly would not be the time to engage in such childlike activities. The noise must have been loud enough to shatter glass. I thought I'd give it a try, so I got out the bag of golden delicious, and the crystal and away I went. Not one piece of glass broke, damn it (I so need new wine glasses). And not only that, I could barely hear the noise they made. Maybe if they'd been good old Nova Scotia apples the noise would have been louder. Obviously, there are some issues I probably should discuss with the teacher. I was going to write her a note this evening, but decided to hold off when I realized I had addressed it to Frau Hitler. Perhaps I will write it in the morning instead.

"A child miseducated is a child lost."~~John F. Kennedy

The Cousins Are Coming, The Cousins Are Coming......

The cousins are coming, the cousins are coming.. It sounds like a rally cry from the War of 1812, but no, it's just the reaction our children had last night when I informed them that their Bobbitt cousins from Ottawa were coming for a visit today. I admit, my reaction was pretty much the same. I think the best part of living in Ottawa last year (besides the shopping), was being so close to Mike and Annette. We got to spend a lot of time with them, and the kids became extremely close. It was the only thing our kids complained about when we moved to Pet, that they would not be able to see "The Cousins" (how can you tell they have Valley blood?) every weekend. I must say the kids were very cooperative this morning, all I had to do was break out the, "Don't make me call Uncle Mike", and they were cleaning their rooms faster then you could say "Uncle Mike rides his bike, at night." If only they knew I'd never call him, as that would punish me far more then them. Well, what they don't know won't hurt them, right? I've got to say, this has been the best weekend since Dan left. Adult company both days, and even better Mike (he really is almost a good brother in law), watched all 6 kids this afternoon so Annette and I could go see a movie together. Not just any movie I might add, but the new Hugh Grant movie (Have I mentioned I have a thing for the British Hughs?? Sigh). Bliss, pure unadulterated bliss. The kids had an awesome day with Uncle Mike and the Cousins. And why is it, they didn't ask him for a thing, but as soon as Annette and I got back, the "I'm thirsty, I'm hungry" started?? Typical! The kids had so much fun, they wanted to know if they could come up every weekend to entertain them! They were a bit disappointed when I told them that was not going to happen, but they quickly got over it. Seems Uncle Mike (bless him), brought them a dvd of Weird Al videos, so they were able to entertain themselves with that for a few hours. Thankfully, I had another movie date tonight with my friend Arlene (Dreamgirls, an excellent movie, though sadly lacking the Hugh Factor), otherwise I would still be sitting her singing "Just Eat It." Not a bad idea, come to think of it, I think there is still some birthday cake left from yesterday.

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."~~Jane Howard

With A Little Help From My Friends....

Well today has probably gone by quicker then any of the other days since Dan left. The kids had swimming this morning, and then we were off to Connor's Cub car rally. The girls and I stayed for a bit, and then came home. Dan called this afternoon, it was a nice treat to get to talk to him twice in one week. The only down side is that he is no longer bored, meaning he is out and about. We all miss him so much, and I so wish it were August! After I talked to him, it was off to say goodbye to our friend Wade, who deploys early tomorrow morning. I felt so bad for my friend Charlotte, the day before is so hard, and its her first deployment. There really is nothing one can do to prepare for it. I can only describe it as surreal really, to send ones husband and friends off to war. I still can't believe Dan has been gone 3 weeks already. The time has gone fast, but then at other times it seems to drag on. So after some more goodbyes, (it seems life in Petawawa is a constant circle of hello and goodbyes), we picked Connor up from the rally. He didn't win any races, but he came home with 2 plaques, 2nd in Original design, and show favourite, meaning his car was voted the favourite by all the other cubs and leaders. Too say he was chuffed would be an understatement, especially as he built the car with Daddy before he left.

We spent the rest of the day with our friends Stu and Arlene, and their kids, and of course, Jen and her 2 boys. It was such a nice afternoon, just to sit in my own house with another adult is a treat in and of itself, but to have 3 adults was heaven. Stu was our token husband, and Jen and I took out 3 weeks worth of frustration and nagging on him. He didn't mind though, anything for the team. Besides, it was a great chance for him to catch up on the gossip (he is such a woman), though I suspect Dan and Derek each owe him a beer now. Time sure flies when you are having fun!! It was after 10 pm before they all went home. And in the middle of it all, I got several phone calls from various friends, and another beautiful flower arrangement from my hubby, who really has been so very sweet to me this month (he's racking up the suck up points, I might add.) There were also several e-mails waiting for me when I came down tonight, from all of our great friends who were so sweet to remember me today. You know, even after all of these years, it still never ceases to amaze me just how great our military family is, because that is what it is like, being part of one big extended family, who are always there for you, in good times and in bad. Whether they are near or far, they reach out to you, and extend a hand. We can not see each other for 5 years, and then pick up where we left off like it was only yesterday. How wonderful is the gift of friendship, it is one of the most wonderful gifts we could ever receive.


"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer."~~ Ed Cunningham.

I'm So Boring...

I've got to say, I'm surprised it took this long to happen. Three weeks in, and I have run out of things to say (I know you are shocked.) Absolutely nothing noteworthy happened today. Nothing. As Katherine would say, "I'm Boring." In other words, I'm bored. I'm actually bored as hell. I had forgotten how unexciting it is to live in Petawawa in the winter (or at any other time for that matter). Seriously, there really is nothing to do here. I know I'm not the only one to suffer from this affliction, especially at this time of year. In fact, I spoke to Dan yesterday, and he too is bored. He's been in Camp all week doing paperwork, and I think he is getting anxious to get out and do some things. I have no problem with him being bored. In fact, I am more then okay with that. If he's bored, he's safe. He could be bored for the next 7 months, and that would be perfectly fine by me. As for my own boredom, there are certainly many things I could do to combat it. I could clean my house for instance, but that's just wrong. There is absolutely nothing entertaining about cleaning my house. I suppose, I could exercise, but that would require some ambition, which I am obviously lacking, otherwise I would not be bored. Then there are the old standards, read a book, or a magazine, or watch TV, but I don't have anything I really want to read, and there is diddly squat on TV. There are certainly signs to paint, but then that would be work, and who wants to work on a Friday night. I realized how bored I actually was when I played a board game (The Pirates of the Caribbean Game of Life, thanks AM, it was a huge hit) with the kids, and was disappointed when it was over. That's boredom for you.

"When I get real bored, I like to drive down town and get a great parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if I'm leaving."~~Steven Wright

The Maple Leaf Forever.....

I had a chance tonight to spend an hour alone with Libby while Katty and Connor were off at Sparks and Cubs. So, after a trip to the store for some stuff for Daddy's parcel (you'll be pleased with her selections daddy), we went to Tim Horton's for a hot chocolate. Apparently, a lot goes on in that little head of hers, and I learned quite a few interesting facts this evening. Foremost on her mind was that today was flag day, and they did nothing, imagine it, nothing to acknowledge it at school. And what was even worse, none of the kids in her class knew the words to "The Maple Leaf Forever" (say it isn't so), but the biggest insult of all, the insult to end all insults, "did you know there are kids in the class that don't know Queen Elizabeth is our Queen", and Lord help us all, "they don't even know the words to God Save the Queen". She clearly was "not amused" How can this be?? How can this be indeed?? Now I must say, I agree with her on this one, but admittedly, I am a bit of an anglophile, but even so, the last time I checked, we were still a part of the Commonwealth, and therefore Queen Elizabeth is still our Queen, and we ought to respect that. Which brings me to the next part of our conversation. At one point in time, Elizabeth announced that she was going to be Queen Elizabeth III. I asked her tonight if that was still the plan. The response, "Well, I'm not so sure mommy, I'd have to marry a Prince for that to happen, and I'm kind of set on marrying Noah (the son of good friends of ours, British, I might add). "Well Libby", I said, " you are young , you might meet a Prince yet." She pondered this for a moment, before replying, "He'd have to be SOME kind of Prince." Indeed.

Of course, the conversation next turned to Daddy, and how much she missed him. She drew a lovely picture of him on the chalkboard in the kitchen. I mentioned to her I'd take a picture for daddy to see it. "He's got one leg longer then the other you know." "Really?? In the picture or are you talking about his real legs?" "Both" was the reply. "Are you sure, I've never noticed it." There was a dramatic sigh, "Well there is from my point of view." Well alrightie then. She took a drink of her hot chocolate before stating, "Uncle Mike rides his bike at night." Interesting. Before I could reply to this, I was asked what kind of tea camels drink, the answer chamomile of course. Well, duh. Speaking of tea, "why do we call it tea." I tried to explain this, but I was cut off. "Really, they should call it hot flavoured coloured water, because that's all it is." I never knew this, but okay. Perhaps tea is easier to remember. Maybe. Next I was told she got moved to the front of the class. Oh, I said, that's too bad. You must miss Melora ( her best friend). Oh no, Melora had been moved ages ago, apparently they talked to much. Shocking that. By this point in time, my ears were ringing, and it was time to pick up Katty. As we got in the van, she said, "So this is what it's like to be an only child." I asked her if she'd like that. "Medium" she replied. "It would be nice to get all of the attention, but I would miss Connor and Katty. Not their fighting though. Their fighting wears me out." Me too Lib, me too!

"The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear, The Maple Leaf Forever. God save our Queen and heaven bless, The Maple Leaf Forever."~~Alexander Muir

My Funny Valentine.....

My favourite Valentine's Day occurred when we lived in Petawawa the last time. We had made plans to go to the mess, but those were cancelled when Dan had to leave to go on a mission to rescue Carmichael, the regimental bearskin rug, from the rival artillery regiment. I might have gotten over this much sooner, had Dan not told me he had only made plans with me in case his rescue plans with Tony and Jeffie fell through. Unfortunately for him, he was standing at the top of the stairs when he told me this, and I had an irresistible urge to give him a shove. Fortunately for him, I resisted the urge. Ever since then, Valentine's Day has been a low key day in the Bobbitt household.

I expected this Valentine's Day to be even more low key as Dan is deployed. It may have been low key to me, but not to our 7 and 9 year old daughters! The first words out of each of their mouth's were "Happy Valentine's Day." Of course, this really should not have been surprising to me as Libby believes both Valentine's and St Patrick's Days should be national holidays. They both went off to school, dressed in their Valentine's finest, bubbling with excitement over the upcoming celebrations. Connor, of course, was not so excited, and went off to school grumbling that probably no one would give him Valentine's any way. How shocking that he actually came home with as many as his sisters. They all had a great day, and the girls were spinning from the combination of red dye, sugar, and excitement.

I had a really nice e-mail from Dan this morning, and then went out with a friend for coffee and shopping. But then, I got a wonderful surprise. At the end of the day, I received a beautiful bouquet of long stem red roses. Elizabeth's eyes were big as saucers as I opened them, "Mommy those are the biggest roses I've ever seen." My husband really is a sweetie. He never misses a big day when he is deployed (in fact I got my Mother's Day flowers in January, but that is another story). The roses really are beautiful and they almost made me forget that other Petawawa Valentine's day. Almost, but not quite.

"Where you used to be, there's a hole in the world,which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime,and falling into at night. I miss you like hell."
~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

The Great Escape....

Let me just say that I am not a pet person. It's not that I dislike pets, its just I dislike the work that comes with them. The kids have been after a dog for years, but as they are inherently lazy, I knew it would be me doing the bulk of the work. With Dan being gone for most of the last year, and now for the next 7 months, they all knew not to even go there. And then Connor had to ask for a friggin hamster for Christmas. A hamster of all things, a bloody rodent. I'm not overly found of rodents, who is really?? My dislike of them probably stems from the family of rats that made residence in our garage in Gagetown, and the squirrels there were basically glorified rats! But someone (who shall remain nameless, but he knows who he is) overrode me on this one. Because really, that's just what I need when Dans gone and I'm alone with the kids, is a pet rat.

It was bound to happen, really it was only a matter of time. So, as if my life is not exciting enough (well actually, it's not exciting at all, but never mind), today it started off with a panic of epic proportions. Connor went down stairs to get dressed only to come running back up again, wailing at the top of his lungs. He was so distressed, I actually thought he was injured, or the house was on fire. Luckily, it was neither. I calmed him down long enough for him to sob, "Pine Cone is out of his nest, what are we going to do, what are we going to do??" At this announcement, the girls both started to wail as well, and Katty immediately jumped on the couch, and started to shake like a leaf (this is the child who has always been leery of animals, especially squirrels). There was so much wailing going on, for a minute I thought I was at the wailing wall! And of course, someone started crying I want daddy, and then of course the "if daddy was here he'd know what to do started." And the whole time I'm standing there thinking, its a frigging hamster, its not a boa constrictor, its an itty bitty hamster. I mean, I know its basically a glorified rat, but geeze, its not of the savage attack breed. As I'm thinking this, Connor immediately calmed down, and then began to instruct me as to how "we" were going to handle the situation. So while I got his sisters ready for the bus, off he went to get Pine Cone some apples (and funny unlike his Nana, he actually managed to use the apple wedger right side up.) He then proceeded to place the apples and other food in a trail to Pine Cone's exercise ball, he emptied the book shelf so I could left it up, and 20 minutes later, Pine Cone was safely in his nest, with the lid taped on. Poor little thing, after his all too brief taste of freedom, took a long swig of water before settling in to recuperate from his adventure. And the worst to come of it all (besides my humming "Born Free" all day), was that Connor missed the bus, and I had to drive him to school. Which actually wasn't too bad after all, as I had to drive right by Tim Horton's to take him to school.

"Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."~~Martin Luther King Jr

Another Manic Monday.....

So far, this week promises to be better then last. Katty actually slept in until 7:30, and its amazing how much a difference an extra hour of sleep makes. The kids all went off to school in a good mood and came home happy. And Connor had a much better day at school today, thank goodness!

I had an e-mail from Dan today. He is back in KAF. He told me I could relax for a few days as he will be in doing administrative stuff for the next few days. I'm not so sure how well I'll do on the relaxing thing, I'm thinking that really won't happen until next September. The handover is done and he is now officially in command. He is excited, but at the same time he finds it a bit daunting that he is now responsible for leading 150 soldiers in operations. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that they are in the best hands. When we had our family briefing in the fall, he assured every one there, he would never expect the soldiers to go or do anything that he would not do himself, and he meant it. I know he will take good care of all of his soldiers, just as I know the BSM will take good care of Dan.

"Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure. "~~ Admiral Arleigh A. Burke

Keep My Daddy Safe...

Well, another week has come and gone, and hopefully next week will be better then last. 2 down, too many more to go. We survived the sleepover (barely), and even though we were all exhausted, the kids had a great day. We went to our friend's for dinner, and it was so nice to spend a few hours with another adult. Her husband left the same day as Dan (and they are actually roommates, temporarily)She had a week very similar to mine, and the old saying misery loves company is so true. Actually, it was nice to be with someone who is going through the same thing as I am. She definitely knows how lonely it is, and how incredibly frustrating it can be by times. I know I would be lost without her, and vice verse.

The first flights of the guys coming home have arrived. 45 families breathed a huge sigh of relief, and can now begin the process of getting to know each other all over again. But as happy as I am for them, I can't help but feel a tad jealous as it will be months before I can breathe that sigh of relief. There was a rocket attack on the airfield in Kandahar today. One NATO soldier was injured, he was not Canadian, but he could have been. Dan wasn't at the base today, but our friends were, and it could have been any one of them. This was just the first incident we've heard about since Dan left, and I know there will be many more. We all try not to worry, but the "what ifs" are always there. But the what ifs get tucked away for another time, another place, and the brave face gets put on. The last thing the kids need is to see me worry. They worry enough as it is. They miss their dad so much. They try so hard to understand why he's gone, but really, they just want him to come home. I know they are scared, they know where he is, and they know kids who have lost a parent. I reassure them that he is very careful and wears all of his protective equipment. Even still, Elizabeth spent the weekend making "Keep My Daddy Safe" pictures with yellow ribbons on either side. I'm sure there will be many more pictures like these ones made in the coming months.

"Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them. Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them. Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him. Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it."~~Pamela Glennconner

Boys Will Be Boys....

Oh God help me, I have no idea why I agreed to have a sleepover for Connor for his birthday. The things we do to make our children happy. Events like this should come with the appropriate greeting, "Thank you. You have now arrived at Hell, Level 3. Enjoy your visit." Yeah, that's likely. You'd think that after having 3 older brothers, count them, 3, I would be wise enough to know it was a bad idea to allow Connor to invite 3 friends over. But no, I foolishly agreed. I'm thinking my second mistake (after agreeing to this madness in the first place) was not hiding the mini marshmallow shooters. The house, which I had spent most of the day cleaning, is now covered in a rainbow of colours. The poor girls couldn't sleep if they tried because of the noise level. Poor Katty was up until 10 pm, and when I tried to put her in her bed, it became a 10 minute ordeal of trying to physically move her from the basement to her bed. For some reason, after a brief trip to the washroom, she was intent in sleeping on the couch in the living room. Elizabeth finally gave up the fight at 11pm. And so here we are, its almost 11:30 pm (only 10.5 hours until they go home!!), and they are raring to go. Lovely, it will be 0 dark 30 before I get any sleep, and then of course there is always tomorrow to look forward to with baited breath. The day after the sleepover is almost as fun as the sleepover itself. Almost. Because once the 3 testosterone riddled guests leave, I will still be left with my own 3 over tired lovelies. And that my friends, will be as much fun as getting all of your teeth pulled without the pain numbing relief of anaesthetics.

"Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable"~~Plato

Till the boys come home...

Today was red Friday, and once again, the kids went off to school wearing red for daddy. And I spent much of today working on my Canadian line of signs. I couldn't help but think how patriotism in Canada has become much more visible since the Red Friday campaign began in earnest. Canadians are by our nature, quietly patriotic. Red and white are normally brought out on Canada Day, or for the Olympics. Our children are among the privileged few who were taught about patriotism in preschool, by a most wonderful woman. The Queen's picture still graced the wall of her classroom, and everyday they sang God Save the Queen as well as Oh Canada. She taught them about respect for our Queen, our country and our flag. Katty still marches around singing, "They call it Canada, but I call it home or The Maple Leaf Forever." Since the mission changed in Afghanistan, Canadians have become much more openly patriotic. Never before have I seen as many Canadian flags as I have the last year. Everywhere I went today, houses and businesses were decked out in red and white, many with signs saying "Support Our Troops." Yellow ribbons fluttered in the breeze, and people everywhere were wearing their red t-shirts in support of our troops. Everywhere, except Tim Horton's that is. How ironic is that Tim Horton's employees are not allowed to wear red t-shirts on Fridays. Corporate executives feel that allowing them to do so would be making a political statement (the presence of a Tim Horton's outlet in Kandahar is not making a political statement, however). Employees are however, permitted to wear red ribbons. American companies such as Wal-Mart, and McDonald's, allow their employees to wear red to support Canadian soldiers. How sad is it that a Canadian business such as Tim Horton's, won't allow their employees to do the same. Actually, it's not just sad, its wrong. Elizabeth asked me today how long Canadians would wear red on Fridays. Connor answered for me, "Until the very last soldier comes home!"

"All of our freedoms were created by the men and women who in our history were prepared to lay down their lives for those freedoms." Prime Minister Harper

Such devoted sisters....

Today was Katherine's bring a friend night at Sparks. And for some shocking reason, Katty decide that Libby was the friend she wanted to bring. And even more shocking, Libby agreed to go. Katty and Libby have a relationship that can only be described as volatile. There are times when the claws are out, and blood is drawn. And usually poor Libby is on the losing end of her sister's nasty temper. And then there are the times of relative calm (few and far between), where they will shut the door, turn on the music and sing together for hours. At any rate, we made our way to Sparks. On the way there, Libby was obviously doubting the wisdom of agreeing to go. "I don't know why Katty choose me to go with her, it's not like we're friends you know." To which I replied, "Of course your friends." This earned me the eye roll, and the response, "Duh, we are not friends, we are sisters. There is no such thing as friendship in sisterhood." Not having a sister myself, I considered myself corrected, and we made our way inside. I silently noted that they were holding hands as they entered the gym. When I returned to pick them up, they were happy and smiling. They made Valentines cards for the Veterans, and bracelets. When I commented on how lovely their friendship bracelets were, I got another eye roll, before I was once again corrected. They were not friendship bracelets, but sister bracelets. Well , duh!

"Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling." ~Pam Brown

Ignorance is bliss...

I had several e-mails from Dan today. In one of them he complained that there were not enough pictures of him in the blog, so I told him I'd rectify that today! Of course, some of the e-mails were in my capacity as his personal assistant. Somehow he has managed to lose his safety glasses (not surprising). Luckily they can have a new pair made for him next week, and sent over with one of the other guys in his battery. I however, have to go pick them up and drop them off. He really does not pay me enough.

He is gradually settling into the routine, and his sleep patterns are finally adjusted (if only Katty's were). It is very interesting to hear his impressions of Afghanistan. He truly believes there have been positive changes since he was there in September, in large part due to the guys that they are taking over from.

"Winter is over here already, and spring is coming, with things starting to green up and rain every couple of days. Temperatures are still great (20 or so in the day, between 5 and 10 at night), everyone says the heat will hit in another two months. Can't wait. Many of the villages have been hit pretty hard from all the fighting, but despite that the locals are starting to return and begin working their fields. The poverty here is pretty brutal, in the countryside the locals have almost nothing. They scrape a living from farming grapes and drug crops, living in pretty primitive conditions (no power or running water, contaminated water sources, donkey cart and foot are the primary modes of transport). They local government and police are almost all corrupt, and make a living off the backs of or shaking down the locals. Things are getting better, but its slow. On top of it all you have the Taliban intimidating and coercing many of the locals to help them. I feel most sorry for the kids, who despite all the cultural differences are just like kids everywhere. One of our FOBs looks right down over a schoolyard, and watching the kids there play, fight and essentially get into trouble definitely reminded me of home."

It is hard to believe after reading that, that there are still people in Canada who believe we should not be in Afghanistan. I think too often the mission in Afghanistan is confused with the War in Iraq, which are 2 entirely different things. And there are those who are naive enough to believe that the people of Afghanistan would be better off if we were to abandon our mission there. I guess ignorance is bliss. Let's ignore the fact that millions of people live in abject poverty, have archaic health care, and children and women are denied basic human rights, such as the right to an education. No little girls in school, no music, no dance, no flying of kites. No joy or laughter. That's a much better solution. Change in Afghanistan will not happen over night, but one thing is clear, change won't happen at all without the security provided by the Canadian and NATO soldiers. Perhaps those who believe we should negotiate with the Taliban should have to live the life of a typical Afghan for a week, without the protection provided by our soldiers. I'm sure their thoughts on negotiation would quickly change. Let us not forget that this is a United Nations-sanctioned NATO commitment, and the Canada I grew up in would never shirk it's international commitment, and I hope this never happens in the Canada our children are growing up in. Because that is a Canada I would be ashamed of.

"Whether our task is fighting poverty, stemming the spread of disease or saving innocent lives from mass murder, we have seen that we cannot succeed without the leadership of the strong and the engagement of all." ~~Kofi Annan

Happy Birthday

Today is my baby boy's birthday! He's 11! I can't believe I'm old enough to have an 11 year old! Of course, you wouldn't think it was his birthday, he was pretty cranky. At one point he told me that, "besides the presents and cakes, it did not feel like his real birthday." It's hard to be 11 obviously. He was not happy about going to cubs tonight, and of course, when he got home, it was the "best cubs ever". Go figure! As he went to bed, he told me the best present ever would have been to have daddy here. If only he knew how much daddy wanted to be here. I think he'll cheer up considerably on Saturday when he has his friends over for a sleepover. He's invited 3 friends over, so it will be the 4 boys, plus Elizabeth and Katherine and me. Remember those levels of hell I'm always talking about, I believe this would classify as level 2!

I had a much better day today. There were signs to be finished, as well as a trip out for some last minute birthday gifts (there really is a lack of shopping in this town), as well as a visit with my buddy Elton at Home Depot, which turned into a visit with several of the guys in the lumber yard, checking up on me to make sure I'm doing alright. How sweet was that. And then tonight, I finished the day off with a lovely chat with my Aunt Mary, who recommended some great new books that I think I'll have to order this week. Maybe the weekend won't be so bad after all!

"There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents ... and only one for birthday presents, you know."~Lewis Carroll

Crickey....

So, I had a bad day. For no particular reason really (though a wise friend pointed out it might have something to do with Dan being 10,000 miles away, having 3 children, and running a business). I can't pin down the reason (though if Dan were here, he'd blame it on hormones). Whether it was any of those reasons or all of the above, it was just one of those days. I felt at loose ends all day. I was so bored, I actually broke down and did housework. That's just wrong on so many levels. It's not that I didn't have anything to do, but none of it was interesting. The highlight of my day was Connor walking around saying (insert cheesy Australian accent here), "Crickey look at the turban on that Taliban." I'm sure its not very pc but it was funny at the time. Thank goodness it's Tuesday and House is on tonight, otherwise I'd really go mad.

Seriously though, maybe the second week is harder. The kids seem to be having a harder time this week. They've become the Bickersons again. Picking at each other over the silliest things, as kids are want to do. Plus, they are all full of head cold, so that does not help. And after a month of doing so much better in school, Connor is goofing off again, so I have had to lay down the law. We'll see how effective it is. At any rate, Boston Legal is on (I love Bill Shatner), and the day is almost over. And tomorrow is another day.

"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow."-- Orison Marden.

Baby It's Cold Outside...

It is cold as Hell here in Pet today, much like it is everywhere else in Canada. I must admit I saw the windchill warning, and for a brief moment was scared they would cancel the buses this morning, then I heaved a sigh of relief as I realized this is Ontario, not New Brunswick. I still remember when they cancelled school there 3 days in a row one winter. Hello, its Canada, it gets cold in the winter. No wonder Nunavut ranks ahead of NB for education, they don't cancel school in Nunavut when it's cold, otherwise they'd never send the kids to school.

I had a super busy morning finishing up a large sign order for the store in Pembroke. They placed another large order so that will keep me busy. Staying busy is the key to making the time pass more quickly. Not like I'm ever not busy. Being a single parent to 3 children precludes boredom. Between homework, and after school activities I'm exhausted by 8 pm. But it's all good, it helps keep the kids occupied. Connor was back to his old tricks at school today, but I quickly sorted that out. Fool around in school, and no birthday sleepover. I'm thinking he'll be working extra hard the rest of the week.

I can't believe this is our second week with Dan gone. I am so glad it is relatively quiet in Afghanistan right now, it has made the adjustment a bit easier. I'm sure there is stuff going on that Dan does not tell me about, and that's fine. I really don't want to know. As we went to pick up Libby from Brownies tonight, Katty told me she wished it were June already. I can't help but agree.

"If you are cold at night, let the promise of my love cover you like a warm blanket."-- Matthew White.

One down....

Today we reached our first milestone of this deployment, the first week is over. I hope the saying that the first week is the hardest holds true, although I know this is probably not the case. We actually managed to sleep in until 6:30 am, another milestone these days it seems. The kids had another great day today (I love that Clue game, who knew it would keep them so amused?) Connor painted his kub car, which is actually a tank. Luckily, he had a chance to buile it with Dan before he left last weekend. No surprise that he painted it desert camouflage. The highlight of the day was Daddy's call. He called us from somewhere in the middle of Afghanistan. The kids all got to talk to him, which was awesome. Connor told me he was glad Daddy called, because he never wants to forget what his voice sounds like (and yes this made me cry, how could it not?) Dan told them a bit about the different things he's seen, mostly the different wildlife. No snakes so far (snakes and bombs, my biggest fears, not necessarily in that order), but lots of ugly camels. It was a brief conversation unfortunately as the battery in his phone was dying. He has adjusted to the time change finally, and the handover is going well. Best of all he is having fun. He is doing his dream job, and knowing that makes a world of difference. I did however point out to him, that the amount of fun he was having was directly proportional to the amount of fun I was NOT having. He found this highly amusing! It was great to talk to him, and tonight we can all sleep a little better knowing he is safe and sound.

"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can play together all night." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes~

You Just Never Know...

I freely admit I was expecting today to be a day from hell. It certainly started out that way. Libby woke me up at 5:30 complaining of a sore throat, which of course woke up her sister. I fully believed I would arrive at at least the second level of hell before noon. And wouldn't you know, the kids proved me wrong once again. Not only were they well behaved, they had morphed back into their alter egos from last Monday, and spent the morning doing not only their scheduled chores, but others as well. By the time noon rolled around, their rooms were cleaned, the family room vacuumed and tidied, Pine Cone was cleaned, watered and fed, and laundry was put away. And I was scared as hell! There was no way this was going to last the full day, especially given we still had to go to Home Depot to get lumber cut, and Walmart. And once again, they proved me wrong. They were well behaved and patient at Home Depot, and at Walmart while we had our passport photos done. Needless to say, they were rewarded with lunch at McDonalds. Their good moods carried on throughout the day. They had a ton of fun with their new Clue Mysteries game before Katty eventually crashed in her favourite spot on the love seat. I'm sure the fact it was allowance day might have something to do with all the cooperation, but hey, whatever works. Lets hope next Saturday goes just as well. One can hope, right?

"In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul."~~ Lisa T. Shepherd.

At the end of the day...

Well, all and all, the day did not go too bad considering we started it off with a massive temper tantrum. Poor Katty, she is having such a hard time with Dan being gone. She has told me several times today she wants daddy to come home now, and I know if she could, she'd give some poor unsuspecting general a piece of her mind, "Listen up Soldier!" She has always had issues with her temper and frustration (I'm not sure where she gets that from), but it gets so much worse when daddy is gone. An hour and a half after it begun, I'm sure she couldn't even remember what she was annoyed about, but at the time she firmly believed she was the victim of a massive injustice. Of course I was the evil master mind intent on the destruction of her happiness. You can imagine how much fun it was. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of witnessing Katherine in action, count yourself among the blessed. I'm sure scenes like this are repeated everyday amongst the wild beasts in the jungle, with no less gory results.

Despite its horrid start, the PD passed rather quickly. Connor and Libby were happy as Larry, as they each had a friend over for much of the day to distract them from their boredom. Surprisingly, I actually managed to get some work done for my store, and had a wonderful conversation with my great friend Cyndi at Yankee Stencils. We spent a couple of hours designing some great new stencils for both of our stores. I can't wait to get them painted. I actually have a fairly large order for the store here in Pembroke to get done for next week, which means tomorrow we'll be making a trip to Home Depot to visit my buddy Elton. I usually avoid taking the kids to the lumber yard if I can help it. In fact, I can say that shooting myself in the knee caps 15 times each would be much more enjoyable, but in this case, it can't be helped. At least I will be busy the next several days so the time will go more quickly.

Katherine is snuggled up with "Teddy Daddy" whom we've decided she should hug whenever she misses daddy. I'm not sure if there is any significance or not, but the teddy bear she choose is Grumpy Bear. Believe it or not, it's after 7:30 pm and she's still awake. Connor and Libby are each in their respective spots, snuggled down with their new fleece blankets from their Sugar Auntie, chilling out and watching t.v. A quiet end to an ordinary day.

"And I say way-hey-hey, it’s just an ordinary day and it’s all your state of mind. At the end of the day, you’ve still got to say, it’s all right."~Doyle/McCann

A Pinch and a Punch...

Well, it's another new month already. And once again I beat John in our monthly game to see who could "pinch and a punch for the first of the month" first. Not surprising really, he's getting pretty slack. I even wrote it in his day planner on the first of each month to remind him, and he still can't beat me. Oh well, there's always next month. I just love this picture of him and Katty from this Christmas. She had him doing all kinds of stunts in a rousing game of Simon Says, though she probably should have called it Katty Says! And we all know what Katty says goes!

The kids were quite pleased when they went to school today, as it was their last day for the week. I swear to God the School Board is run by sadists!! In my mind, Professional Development Days should be called Torture Mom days. A three day weekend the week your husband deploys, just what every mother needs; an extra 24 hours for the kids to mope around the house and complain about being bored. Thank goodness for friends who like to spoil my kids, though. As luck would have it (and it's almost like she knew, but I'm not sure how, because I'm pretty sure I haven't complained about this PD day, oh ok, maybe I complained a little) 2 lovely big care pakages arrived from the Big Apple this morning, one full of goodies for the kids, and one full of goodies for me. There are many new distractions now tucked away for the weekend for all 4 of us, and thanks to Ann Marie, I might make it through the weekend without pulling my hair out. However, I make no such guarantees on anyone else's hair!

I had a lovely lunch today with my friend Arlene. We went to this hidden little gem of Pembroke (who knew there were any gems in Pembroke, hidden or otherwise). Arlene's husband may be going overseas as well and would be working with Dan, but they are in hurry up and wait mode. I swear that is one of the most frustrating parts of this life style. Hurry up and make a decision already. There definitely is no life like it!

"Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."-- Leo Buscaglia.